LOST AND FOUND: Haunted mazes and scary treats P12
75 CENTS
October 19, 2017
ELBERT COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
Building with county offices opens Samuel Elbert Building in Kiowa was former site of Bank of the West BY JODI HORNER SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
a lot of years. I have been working with their hides since we opened the shop in 1986,” he said. “I like to work with leather and make tack items like reins, bridles, cinches and other items. “I also love saddles. I repair them for customers and I also have a large collection of saddles, some dating back to the late 1800s as well as some that are fairly new. I guess the shop has become sort of a saddle museum.”
The grand opening of the Samuel Elbert Building at 440 Comanche St. in Kiowa, where some county offices are locating, brought together citizens, county employees and officials along with special guests from the Colorado state government. The former Bank of the West building, purchased in June for $495,800, unofficially opened to the public Oct. 10 on the main (upper) level, where the DMV office is located. During the Oct. 12 grand opening ceremony, Elbert County Commissioners Chris Richardson and Grant Thayer shared the front steps with three state officials: Secretary of State Wayne Williams, Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles Senior Director Mike Dixon and Operations Director for the Department of Revenue Tony Anderson. Also up front were Elbert County Clerk and Recorder Dallas Schroeder, Elbert County Treasurer Rick Pettitt and County Manager Sam Albrecht. After Richardson and Thayer jointly held a giant pair of scissors and cut the red ribbon spanning the steps to the entrance, Richardson gave the opening remarks to the crowd of nearly 50 attendees.
SEE LEATHER, P4
SEE BUILDING, P2
Tom Knowles talks about one of the saddles he has in his collection at his business, The Wildflower Saddles and Tack Shop in Elizabeth. Knowles restores and repairs saddles and over the years he has assembled a collection that includes some fairly modern saddles as well as some that date to the 1800s. TOM MUNDS
A real gem for area equestrians Elizabeth native repairs gear and makes new products by hand BY TOM MUNDS TMUNDS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The smells of coffee and leather fill the air when visitors stop by the Wildflower Saddles and Tack shop at 122 Main St. in Elizabeth, where they are greeted by owner Tom Knowles plus
a possible purr from General Sterling Price the cat. “I come here every day to open the shop, make coffee and feed General Sterling Price,” Knowles said with a smile. “After that I might get a little work done making new tack and possibly repairing or restoring a saddle or two.” Knowles has a lifetime of experience with saddles and tack. He said he learned to ride horses almost as soon as he could walk and worked cattle a good portion of his life. “I worked cattle on the hoof for
THE BOTTOM LINE PERIODICAL
‘Forgiveness is freedom. Forgiveness is freeing. Forgiveness costs us nothing — it is free.’ Michael Norton | columnist, Page 8 INSIDE
VOICES: PAGE 8 | LIFE: PAGE 12 | CALENDAR: PAGE 7
ElbertCountyNews.net
VOLUME 122 | ISSUE 38